Bustle



(No Model.) zsneeps-sneet 1.

A. W. RICE & P. LANDAKER.

. BUSTLE. I .No. 352,427. Patented Nov. 9; 1886.

NITED rA'rss ALONZO RICE AND PETER LANDAKER, OF EUREKA SPRINGS, ARKANSA S.

BUSTLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 352,427, dated November 9, 1886.

Application tiled January 13, 1886. Serial No. 188,431. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we,.ALoNzo W. Rron and PETER LANDAKER, citizens of the United States, residing at Eureka Springs, in the county of Carroll and State of Arkansas, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Bustles, of which the following is a specificashall be very simple, strong, and durable in construction, very light, so as to add very little additional weight to the apparel of the wearer, thoroughly effective for the purposes designed, and very cheap and inexpensive in the manufacture and sale.

The bustle proper is made or formed in one piece of pliable or yielding material, (rubben) so that it can be adjusted'to accommodate itself to different shapes and forms of persons. The yielding rubber serves to properly support the clothing, and when they are once properly and neatly arranged or disposed on the bustle, the latter, by its peculiar construction and arrangement, serves to properly sup port and retain the clothing in place. The rubber will yield to'prevent breaking when any undue strain or pressure is brought thereon, and it has sufficient rigidity and resistance to uphold clothing of ordinary weight. The rubher is non-corrosive, and consequently will not soil, deface, or otherwise injure the clothing, and the device is provided with suitable suspending bands or straps, all as hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan View of our improved bustle. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view thereof on the line a: w of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a detail view in front elevation of the bustle proper with the suspending and retaining bands removed. Fig. 4 is an enlarged perspective 4 view of the bustle.

bustle, that has a supporting-body, B, a series ofradiating arms or supports, 0, a suspendingband, D, connected to the body B, and a retaining-strip, E, connected to the outer ends ofth e radial supports 0, theparticular arrangement and peculiar construction of the several parts above noted being hereinafter described more fully and in detail.

The body B comprises an upper and lowen longitudinal bar, I) b, respectively, and end and intermediate cross or transverse bars, 6 that are disposed in vertical positions at right angles to the horizontal longitudinal bars 12 b, and are formed or molded in one piece or integral therewith. The body is thus made very light, strong, and simple in its construction,

and it is curved longitudinally to fit the shape of the wearer, or it can be bent and adjusted to accommodate forms of variable shapes and proportions, owing to the pliability of the material of which it is composed.

The supports or arms radiate or project rearwardly from the curved or segmental body B, and they are formed in a single piece therewith. The said arms orsupports are made of different lengths from themiddle of the body to the ends thereof, the middle arms being longer than the two arms on opposite sides thereof, and the latter being longer than the arms on the sides thereof toward the ends of the body, and so on. An even and neat fit or appearance of the apparel supported by the bustle is thus insured, and the supports are curved downwardly from the points where they join'the body to the outer extremities, as shown in Fig. 2.

The lower outer ends of the longitudinally curved tangential supports or arms are braced by horizontally-disposed brace-ar1ns f, that are formed integral with the lower longitudinal bar, I), of the body, and the outer ends of said arms or supports, which are further strengthened by transverse diagonal braces 9, that are 'joined and formed with the supports 0 and brace-arms f at the middle of the former and near theinnerends of the latter. (See Fig. 2.)

It will thus be seen that we provide a bustle that is similar to an open frame, and that the same is very light, simple, strong, and durable in its construction. The several parts are molded or formed in one homogeneous mass of rubber that possesses the requisite. resiliency ICO to yield under undue strain or pressure, while retaining-strip E is connected to the free ends of the curved tangential supports by stitching, as shown, or other suitable securing means, and the ends of the strip are permanently connected to the suspending-waistband. This strip E serves to keep the supports in proper relative position, and tends to relieve them of undue lateral strain.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is- 1. A bustle consisting of pliable rubber and comprising a curved body having the sides I) and b and connectingbars b If, the radial curved arms or supports 0, the brace arms f intermediate of the outer ends of the radial arms and the lower side of the body, and the diagonal braces 9, connecting the radial and brace arms, substantially as described, for the purpose set forth.

2. A bustle consisting of rubber and comprising a curved body, the radial curved-arms, the brace-arms intermediate of the outer ends of the radial arms and the body, the waistband B, connected to the body, and the band E, secured to the outer ends of the radial arms and the waistband, substantially as described, for the purpose set forth.

3. A bustle consisting of pliable or yielding rubber and comprising a curved body having the connected sides b and b, the radial curved arms 0, made gradually shorter from the middle of the body toward the ends thereof, the braces intermediate of the body and outer ends of the arms. and the waist and connecting bands secured to the body and the arms thereof, respectively, substantially as described.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have hereto afifixed our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

ALONZO W. RICE.

PETER LANDAKER. Vitn esses:

KIJNESS F. RICE, "WM. MoCoRMIoK. 

